May 12, 2015
Day 5: Pendleton to La Grande to Baker City
Setting your alarm clocks while on a tour seems out of place when you're in such harmony with your circadian rhythms. But set them we did, and we all had great difficulty rising from our beds. Our hosts, Tony and Athena, had let us sleep in their trailer, so we had actual beds to lie in for the first time, but for some reason it turns out none of us could really sleep. Perhaps just the thought of waking up before dawn caused us our minds to reject the notion of even trying to get the rest we needed.
Tony had been kind enough to slice strawberries and cook muffins for us the night before. We gladly ate these and each had a cup of coffee to get us going. I think it was just what we needed. He said he was going to be awake at the time, but something must have come up and we had to leave without saying goodbye.
II hoped that the bus would be idling at the stop at Roy Rayley Park, and we could load the bikes and gear at our leisure. Instead it pulled up right on time or even a bit late, and we all performed a groggy, unchoreographed dance of hoisting bikes onto racks and tossing bags onto empty seats. The driver was a man of few words, but he tolerated our situation gracefully. He opened the back door for Amy to load her bike too.
A total of 3 other people boarded the shuttle at various stops. One left at the travel plaza, while the other two were with us as far as the university in La Grande. I was grateful for every foot o elevation we gained by bus rather than bicycle. When we reached the bus station, I felt sorry for the line of people waiting to board for the return trip. I'm not sure how, but I think we managed to put the bus at least 10 minutes behind schedule. I'm sure they were more understanding than I thought at the time.
Here we were in La Grande with what felt like all the time in the world. First order of business was to reattach our panniers. Second was to find a grocery store. We lucked out with a Safeway that had a Starbucks and a gas station, so we were able to take care of all our errands while using the seating area as a home base. We were all still disoriented, and kept wandering off aimlessly in search of this or that. I filled up our fuel canister, or rather the attendant did. The service alone was worth more than the 51 cents I paid for the gas,
We got rolling around 9:00, and we made pretty good time to Union, despite a couple of miles of washboard road along the way. From there, the route twists and turns and climbs into the hills towards North Powder. The scenery was beautiful and the extra work warmed us up on this chilly day. Speaking of which, we were expecting some rain but only got a few drops. That was a nice bullet to dodge.
At lunch we ate some of our newly-acquired provisions. The air was still cold but now the sun was starting to show itself. Amy and Sunyoung took turns basking like lizards, and then we committed ourselves to finishing up the day's ride.
Once we crossed under the interstate, we saw bright new signs pointing out a scenic bikeway. We weren't pressed for time, so we decided to follow it. We passed many ranches, saw a den of foxes, and generally enjoyed ourselves until the road started rising a bit into the foothills. This tired us out, and we all were eager to get into town. Once there, we rewarded ourselves with ice cream.
Our hosts for the evening, Will and Julie, are exactly what I imagined all Warm Showers hosts would be like when I first heard about the service. We pulled up into the driveway, and there was Will in his riding gear, his Long Haul Trucker parked in the carport. Baker City is on the Transamerica route, so they get the REAL cross-country riders (like Amy!) coming through. The evening was a whirlwind of talking and eating, with a welcome load of laundry thrown in for good measure. These little things we take for granted when at home are very welcome when on a tour.
As I write this the next morning, it seems that we all finally slept well for what may have been the first time on this trip. I wonder what adventures today will bring.
Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 319 miles (513 km)
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